ABOUT Tonya

The question that guides my work

What allows some people to live into their potential—even under constrained conditions—while others, equally capable, remain held back?

It’s a question I’ve been asking in one form or another for more than two decades, and it continues to shape everything I research, write and create.

My Story

I’m a sociologist and human factors researcher with an academic background that also spans anthropology and criminology.

Over the past twenty years, I’ve had the privilege of working across domestic violence, homelessness, oil and gas, aviation, construction, fitness and maritime safety.

While each of these environments was remarkably different, they all gave me something I value deeply: the opportunity to better understand people, the conditions in which they live and work, and the forces that shape human behaviour.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked alongside people facing extraordinary adversity, high-performing professionals, organizations navigating change, communities working through complex challenges, and people striving to build better lives for themselves and those around them.

Those experiences taught me something that has become central to how I understand people:

Human behaviour is an outcome.

It’s shaped by far more than individual choice alone. It’s influenced by our emotions, beliefs, relationships, opportunities, environments, and the social and cultural conditions we inherit.

I’ve seen people overcome extraordinary hardship and accomplish incredible things. I’ve also seen incredibly capable people held back by the environments around them, while others seemed to move forward despite having fewer skills, resources or experience.

I’ve watched organizations unlock the very best in people, and I’ve watched others quietly diminish confidence, creativity and potential.

The more I observed, the more fascinated I became—not simply by human behaviour itself, but by the interaction between people and the conditions in which they live and work.

That curiosity eventually became the foundation of my research.

Why This Work Matters

At the heart of my work is a deep belief in people.

My work has continually drawn me back to the relationship between people and the conditions in which they live and work—not because I believe our circumstances determine our future, but because they influence the opportunities we see, the beliefs we hold, the risks we’re willing to take and, ultimately, the lives we build.

Conditions matter.

They matter in families and relationships. They matter in workplaces and organizations. They matter in communities. And they matter at a societal level, where access to opportunity, resources, power and belonging is not distributed equally.

But understanding those conditions is only part of what interests me.

I’m equally fascinated by the people who grow, adapt and flourish despite them.

What allows someone to challenge what they’ve been taught? To recognize possibilities others don’t see? To speak when remaining silent would be easier? To recover from adversity, take a risk, change direction or build something different?

And what can organizations, communities and societies learn from the conditions that make those things more possible?

I care about creating environments in which people can thrive.

I care about helping organizations bring out the best in their people.

I care about communities that expand opportunity rather than unnecessarily constrain it.

And I care about understanding what allows people and organizations to continue growing, adapting and flourishing—even under difficult conditions.

I believe that by better understanding human behaviour, emotion, social conditioning and the environments we live and work in, we can make better decisions, build healthier organizations, strengthen communities and help more people realize their potential.

My Work Today

Today, my work sits at the intersection of sociology and human factors, exploring how emotion, social conditioning and behaviour influence human potential.

My research and writing examine the relationship between people and the conditions that shape our lives—from our relationships and communities to workplaces, organizations, industries and society more broadly.

That work takes me into seemingly different subjects.

I study risk perception and safety in commercial fishing. I research the experiences of women working in traditionally male-dominated industries. I explore empathy, emotion, organizational culture and the social dynamics that influence behaviour. And through my writing, I examine gender, conditioning and the stories societies inherit about who we are and who we are allowed to become.

On the surface, those subjects can look very different.

To me, they are different expressions of the same inquiry.

How do people interact with the conditions around them—and what allows more people, organizations and communities to thrive?

Current Areas of Focus

Human Factors & Maritime Safety
Risk perception, empathy, safety culture and the human side of work at sea.

Women & Work
The conditions shaping women’s experiences, advancement and opportunity in traditionally male-dominated industries.

Emotion, Empathy & Behaviour
How emotional and relational factors influence perception, decision-making, communication and behaviour.

Social Conditioning & Human Behaviour
How the beliefs, norms, expectations and stories we inherit shape what we see as possible.

Organizations, Culture & Performance
The human and social conditions that influence how people work, lead, communicate and perform.

Gender, Women & Society
Exploring women’s lived experiences and the social, cultural and historical forces that have shaped them.